WHY TRAVEL TO THE YUCATAN PENINSULA

Why the Yucatan? There are many places to travel and explore on this great planet of ours. Every so often a new destination becomes the "in" place to be. That destination is now the Yucatan Peninsula.

There is simply so much to do there that one trip is never enough. You can swim, snorkel, golf, climb up pyramids and eat to your hearts content. The country landscape abounds with tropical fauna and birds and butterflies are everywhere.

Mexican people are pleasant by nature. Many resorts and even small cabana hotels pride themselves on the excellence of their hospitality, and you won't be disappointed. Unless you stay in a dump you can expect pristine clean accommodations and all the conveniences of home, even in remote villages.

The highway from Cancun all the way to Tulum has been rebuilt and is in excellent condition. There are now gas stations along the way to Chetumal. The highway from Cancun to Merida is in great shape and new roads have been built throughout the eastern interior from Uxmal to Dzibilchaltun.

There is something to do for everybody here. Kids are never disappointed and never want to leave Xel Ha or Xcaret, two Eco theme parks on the Riviera. Moms can shop-'til-they-drop here and bargains galore are to be found especially if you're in the process of remodeling your home. For dad there is the food, the golfing, the swimming and most importantly that candlelit dinner by the ocean. Jewelry stores are everywhere.

Beaches! Beaches! Beaches! Did we mention the beaches yet? Beautiful white sand beaches with warm Blue Ocean water. Hot breezes and if you find the right spot a waiter will deliver your Margarita right to you saving you the aggravation of actually having to get up and walk, remember, you're on vacation.

One of the most powerful experiences of my life has been coming face to face with a school of wild dolphins while snorkeling the Chinchorro Reefs. They just sort of floated there laughing at me. I will never forget the sounds they made.

The Yucatan has some of the world's most beautiful coral reefs that can be found from the northern tip right down to the Belize border. These reefs are excellent for both divers and snorkelers alike and marine life abounds. There are dive centers all along the coast and many places have decompression chambers in the advent of an emergency.

What can you say about Mexican food but delicious! It is almost like the whole country is in some kind of health craze but that is just the way they eat. You can get any kind of food you want here, from gourmet to junk and go to the right restaurant and you will have the best hamburger of your life.

The stories you hear about crime are quite often over exaggerations or false claims. Yes there is crime in Mexico but there is crime where you are right now as well. The notion that Mexico is like some lawless frontier town is ridiculous. You will find Mexicans law-abiding citizens and their police quite in control if not over-worked and underpaid. You will also find the Mexican military fighting and winning the war on drugs if you head down south where they vigorously patrol.

But of course the most enchanting aspects of the Yucatan are the ruins, many of which are open to the general public year round. Nobody ever forgets their climb to the top of the Coba Great Pyramid or Chichen Itza's El Castillo.

The Yucatan caters to 3 basic types of person:

the tourist looking for that memorable vacation with or without the kids

the explorer searching through antiquities

the diver/snorkeler.

Of course there are hundreds of other reasons to visit Mexico but the above three, are the reasons we hear most often!